“Night Courier,” the caustic thriller that reveals Riyadh’s hidden life

At the heart of Riyadh, with its glittering skyscrapers and displays of luxury, lie the stories of those who live in the shadows, those who are poor and who wage a stubborn fight to defend their dignity. It is this little-known side of the Saudi capital that the film Night Runner [ Mandoob in the original version, already released in theaters and available for streaming in several Gulf countries] reveals .

This courageous step is due to director Ali Kalthami, who is making his first feature-length fiction film. It is produced by the [Saudi-Emirati] Telfaz11 studio, and all the main roles are played by Saudi actors.

The film depicts a Saudi Arabia whose inhabitants live frugally and in small dwellings, dress in threadbare clothes, and sometimes accept to demean themselves in the hope of earning a living. This is particularly the situation of Fahad, the hero of the film [played by Mohamad Aldokhei, until then mainly known in Saudi Arabia for his comedic talents], who lives with his father, his brother and his sister, a divorced mother of a young girl, who must struggle to remain independent and provide for herself.

Fahad